pennyspoetryfandomcom-20200214-history
Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge (1748 - June 25, 1816) was an American poet, novelist, lawyer, judge, and justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. A frontier citizen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he founded both the Pittsburgh Academy, now the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Gazette, still operating today as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Life Brackenridge was born in Kintyre, Scotland, a village near Campbeltown. In 1753, when he was 5, his family emigrated to York County, Pennsylvania, near the Maryland border, then a frontier. At age 15 he was head of a free school in Maryland. At 19 he entered the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, where he joined Philip Freneau, James Madison, and others in forming the American Whig Society to counter the conservative Cliosophic, or Tory, Society. (Today these are conjoined as the American Whig–Cliosophic Society.) Freneau and Brackenridge collaborated on a satire on American manners that may be the first work of prose fiction written in America, Father Bombo's Pilgrimage to Mecca . They also wrote The Rising Glory of America, a prophetic poem of a united nation that would rule the North American continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Brackenridge recited it at the commencement exercises of 1771. After his graduation, Brackenridge remained another year to study divinity. In 1772 he became headmaster of an academy in Somerset County, Maryland, with Freneau as his assistant. He went back to Princeton for a Master's degree, and then served in George Washington's army as a chaplain, preaching fiery patriotic sermons to the soldiers of the American Revolutionary War. He started the United States Magazine in Philadelphia in 1778, where he published poems by his friend Freneau, but its lagging subscriptions convinced him to change his profession. He took a law degree, studying under Samuel Chase in Annapolis, Maryland, and was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia in 1780 at age 32. Of Philadelphia he wrote, "I saw no chance for being anything in that city, there were such great men before me." Four months later he struck out for the frontier, 300 miles to the west, over the Appalachian Mountains. In 1781 Pittsburgh was a village of 400 inhabitants, most Scots, like himself, Scots-Irish, and Germans. His aim, he wrote, in "offering myself to the place" was "to advance the country and thereby myself." In Pittsburgh he helped establish the first western newspaper, the Pittsburgh Gazette, in 1786. He was elected in 1786 to the Pennsylvania state assembly, where he fought for the adoption of the federal Constitution, and obtained state endowments in 1787 for the establishment of the Pittsburgh Academy (University of Pittsburgh), modeled on Benjamin Franklin's Academy of Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania). He also played a role in the little-known Westsylvania dispute, siding with Pennsylvania that the western lands should not become a 14th state. He lost a bid for re-election because he opposed popular sentiment in supporting federal controls. At a dinner hosted by Chief Justice Thomas McKean, Brackenridge stated that "the people are fools; if they would let Mr. Morris alone, he would make Pennsylvania a great people, but they will not suffer him to do it." Another legislator at the party, William Findley, published an account of the remarks, and the subsequent controversy led to Brackenridge's electoral defeat.Wood, p. 219–220 Brackenridge also nearly lost his life when he attempted to mediate the Whiskey Rebellion. He ran for the United States Congress, but was soundly defeated by Albert Gallatin. The formation of Allegheny County is largely due to Brackenridge's efforts. In December 1799 Governor Thomas McKean appointed him a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In 1815 he completed Modern Chivalry, his rambling satirical novel. Widely considered the first important fictional work about the American frontier and called "to the West what Don Quixote was to Europe," the third and fourth sections of the book appeared in 1793 and 1797, and a revision in 1805, with a final addition in 1815. Henry Adams called it "a more thoroughly American book than any written before 1833." Brackenridge died June 25, 1816 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The Allegheny County borough of Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, is named for his son, the lawyer, judge, and writer Henry Marie Brackenridge (1786–1871). Publications Poetry *''A Poem: On the rising glory of America'' (with Philip Freneau). Philadelphia: Joseph Crukshank, for R. Aitken, 1772. *''A Poem on Divine Revelation''. Philadelphia: R. Aitken, 1774. *''An Epistle to Walter Scott. Pittsburgh, PA: Franklin Head, 1811. Plays *The Battle of Bunkers-Hill. A dramatic piece of five acts. Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1776. *''The death of General Montgomery, at the siege of Quebec. A tragedy. Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1777; Norwich, CT: J. Trumbull, for J. Douglass McDougall, 1777. Novel *''Modern Chivalry. Philadelphia: John M'Culloch, 1792; 1793; Philadelphia: J. Conrad et al, 1804; (4 volumes), Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1815; (1 volume), Philadelphia: T.B. Peterson, 1835. ''Volume I,Volume II, Part II, Volume II Short fiction *''Father Bombo's Pilgrimage to Mecca'' (with Philip Freneau). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Library, 1975. Non-fiction *''Six Political Discourses Founded on the Scripture. Lancaster, PA: Francis Bailey, 1778. *An Eulogium of the Brave Men who Have Fallen in the Contest with Great-Britain. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, 1779. *Incidents of the Insurrection in the Western Parts of Pennsylvania: in the year 1794. Philadelphia: John M'Culloch, 1795. *''Considerations on the Jurisprudence of the State of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Duane?, 1808. *''Law Miscellanies'' (essays). Philadelphia: P. Byrne, 1814. Collected editions *''A Hugh Henry Brackenridge Reader'' (edited by Daniel Marder). Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1970. Edited *Dr. Knight & John Slover, Narratives of a Late Expedition against the Indians: With an account of the barbarous execution of Col. Crawford ; and the wonderful escape of Dr. Knight and John Slover from captivity, in 1782. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, 1783. *''Gazette Publications. Carlisle, PA: Alexander & Phillps, 1806. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Hugh Henry Brackenridge, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 2, 2016. See also *List of U.S. poets References * * * * O'Toole, James (2000). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Profile of Its Founder Hugh Henry Brackenridge. Retrieved November 27, 2005. * Wood, Gordon S. (2009). Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815. Oxford University Press. Notes External links ;Poems *Hugh Henry Brackenridge at PoemHunter (2 poems) *Hugh Henry Brackenridge at Poetry Nook ;Books * * [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER2/Chivalry/index.html Modern Chivalry ''at the University of Virginia American Studies Hypertext project]. ;About *Hugh Henry Brackenridge in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica *Hugh Henry Brackenridge (1748-1816) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 *Brackenridge, Hugh Henry at the Pennsylvania Center for the Book Category:1748 births Category:1816 deaths Category:People from Kintyre Category:Kingdom of Scotland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Category:Princeton University alumni missing graduation year Category:American lawyers Category:18th-century American novelists Category:19th-century American novelists Category:Supreme Court of Pennsylvania justices Category:People of the Whiskey Rebellion Category:University and college founders Category:American newspaper founders Category:18th-century American dramatists and playwrights Category:Politicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:American military chaplains Category:American Revolution chaplains Category:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette people Category:Writers from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:American male novelists Category:18th-century dramatists and playwrights Category:American male dramatists and playwrights Category:19th-century male writers Category:Princeton University alumni